Apparatus for securing or sealing caps or closure members to bottles and other suitable containers



Sept. 25, 1962 F. FOX 3,055,156

APPARATUS FOR SECURING 0R SEALING CAPS 0R CLOSURE MEMBERS TO BOTTLES AND OTHER SUITABLE CONTAINERS Filed July 28, 1960 3,055,156 APPARATUS FOR SECURING R SEALING CAPS OR CLOSURE MEMBERS T0 BOTTLES AND OTHER SUITABLE CONTAINERS Frank Fox, Illingworth, Halifax, England Filed July 28, 1960, Ser. No. 45,975 Claims priority, application Great Britain Jan. 19, 1960 1 Claim. (Cl.'53363) The invention has as its object to provide a cheap, simple and effective hand tool of appliance for securing dished or skirted ductile metal caps, stoppers or like closure members to bottles and other suitable containers in a tamper-proof manner.

There are many types of tamper-proof seals for closure members of containers which are frequently or generally used by producers of all manner of goods for ensuring that the contents of the containers have not been tampered with before reaching customers. Evidence of tampering is usually visually indicated by a portion of the seal or closure being distorted or ruptured, it preferably being desirable that the closure can be replaced upon a container after initial removal and rupture of the seal.

Machines for applying and sealing closure members upon containers, are as a rule, of complex and costly construction intended to continuously and automatically deal with vast quantities of containers.

There are, however, many circumstances where it is desirable that small numbers of containers should be provided with tamper-proof or sealed closures. For instance, containers for medicines dispensed by doctors and chemists, dangerous drugs, poisons, insecticides and various other substances would be much safer during delivery were they sealed.

The hand tool or appliance according to the invention makes possible the tamper-proof sealing of caps, stoppers and the like in a simple and cheap manner, either in a small way or in bulk.

According to the invention the apparatus for securing or sealing caps or closure members to bottles and other suitable containers includes a stationary locating member furnished with articulated or movable means and punch or dies, and a relatively movable member, whereby when the locating member is caused to mesh or register with the cap or the like of a container and the movable member is manually operated, the articulated or movable means actuate the punch or dies radially inward to distort or displace a corresponding portion or portions of the skirt of the stopper into a recessed or otherwise appropriately shaped part or parts of the container.

When the cap is initially removed from the container the distorted or displaced portion(s) or seal(s) is or are automatically ruptured or displaced to provide visual evidence of the cap having been removed but still ensuring that the cap may be replaced.

In order that the invention may be fully and clearly comprehended, the same will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIGURE 1 is an elevation of a tool or appliance constructed according to one embodiment of the invention,

FIGURE 2 is a sectional elevation viewed from one side of FIGURE 1.

FIGURE 3 is a plan of FIGURE 1.

FIGURE 4 is an enlarged perspective view of one form of punch or die for use with the apparatus.

In carrying the invention into effect according to one embodiment the hand tool or appliance incorporates a stationary member or plug 1 of preferably circular crosssectional shape furnished with a dished lower end 2 for locating upon the cap or stopper 3 of a container.

The upper end of the plug is provided with an axial counterbore 4 and between the base of the latter and the States Patent a 3,055,156 Patented Sept. 25, 196

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lower end of the plug there is formed an elongated axial slot 5.

Housed in the aforesaid slot are the upper ends of a pair of cranked or bent links 6 which are articulated to the plug 1 by a diametrically arranged pin 7 passing through bores in the plug and in the said links. The lower or free ends of the links each support a detachable punch 8 of desired contour.

In one example of punch it may have a notched upper face for co-acting with the corresponding end of the link and be secured in position by a locking screw passing through a bore 9 in the punch into a screw-threaded bore in the link.

Slidably mounted upon the heretofore described plug 1 is a tubular sleeve 10 furnished with a closed flanged and preferably domed upper end 11, and the sleeve is made captive upon the plug by a radial peg 12 secured to the latter and arranged to co-act with a slot 13 in the wall of the sleeve.

Housed in the counterbore 4 of the plug 1 and interposed between the latter and the closed upper end of the sleeve is a helical spring 14 which normally forces the sleeve upward relative to the plug.

To utilise the tool, the dished lower end 2 of the plug 1 is located upon a ductile metal cap or skirted closure member 3 positioned upon a bottle or container, whereupon the sleeve 10 is pressed downward against the action of the aforesaid spring 14 and the lower end or rim of the sleeve actuates the lower or free ends of the links 6 radially inward for the ends of the punches or dies 8 to distort, press or otherwise move corresponding portions of the cap into mesh or engagement with a recessed part, parts, groove, channel or the like formed in the container.

Immediately after manual pressure upon the sleeve is relieved the sleeve automatically moves upward to release the punches.

Although it is preferred to employ screw-threaded caps this is not essential. Furthermore, should only one punch or die or more than two be desired, the linkage and correlated means could be suitably modified.

It must also be understood that a hand lever could be combined with the sleeve for actuating the latter in which event it maybe desirable that the plug 1 be secured to an appropriately shaped frame. As another alternative, the tube 10 could be attached to a wall, pillar or the like and the device actuated in reverse manner, that is to say the 'sleeve could be stationary and the member 1 operated upwardly by upward movement of a container, whereby the articulated means and dies would be caused to operate as aforesaid. Means may also be provided for locating a container relative to the end 2 of member 1.

I claim:

Appliance for securing tamper-proof sealing caps to the containers comprising a stationary plug of circular cross-section having its lower extremity dished to enclose and position a cap on a container, a tubular sleeve having a closed top slidably mounted over the upperhalf of said plug, peg means securing said sleeve to said plug, the upper end of said plug having an axial counterbore and the lower end of said plug above the dished extremity having a transverse slot of elongated cross-section, and which cuts through said plug on opposite sides and presents a portion of the slot below the sleeve at the lower half of said plug, said lower end of said plug being provided with a lower axial bore extending between the counterbore and the dished lower extremity, a spring mounted in the counterbore at the upper end of said plug bearing against the inner upper surface of said sleeve to normally urge said sleeve upwardly from said plug and expose part of said vertical slots not covered by said sleeve, a pair of links articulated at a pin, a pin for said pair of links which pin is located in the lower axial bore oi said plug near the bottom surface of the counter-bore, sai links e extending d erg ly fr m said pin to project on either side of said plug through the slots with the free lower ends of each of said links being bent downwardly along outer lower sides of said plug and to ext nd below the dished lower extremity of said plug, the lower edge of said sleeve bearing against the divergent edges of said links which extends from said pin, said free lower ends of said links each being provided with a punch whereby upon enclosing a cap with said dished extremity of said plug and locating said cap on the mouth of a container, the downward pressing movement of said sleeve against said spring actuates the free ends of said links to 4 move each of the punches radially inwardly to press and shape the cap by the metal forming action of the attached punches on said cap and upon releasing the pushing pressure on said sleeve the sleeve moves automatically upward and said punches are retracted.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 

